The Nikon 50mm f/1.8, either G or D would be a good choice for portraits because it would be equiv. to a 75mm. I believe Nikon also makes a 60mm micro that would be a 90mm equiv. I don't think it is too expensive either.

That's sort of my problem. I'd be really uncomfortable mounting the D40 on a tripod with the 105. Maybe less so if the body was heavier, but the 105mm might be better with a tripod foot.

Maybe it would help if I were to get a heavier body in just carrying the 105.

NSXType-R said:
You can get bokeh with the 35mm 1.8 if you get close enough.

It's still my favorite lens- plenty sharp, plenty cheap and really small. The 105mm is nice, but it's terrible to balance on a D40.

Damn Nikon with taking their time with a D7000 replacement. :D

You can, but it is difficult for portraits IMO. You don't even have to try with the longer lenses because of the longer focal lengths.

It is a nice light and sharp lens though and one reason I have kept it. I could carry my camera all day with it on...unlike the 105 that is kind of heavy or the 300 F4 that will break your neck which I usually have to carry in my hands also with the support of the neck strap.

You can get bokeh with the 35mm 1.8 if you get close enough.

It's still my favorite lens- plenty sharp, plenty cheap and really small. The 105mm is nice, but it's terrible to balance on a D40.

Damn Nikon with taking their time with a D7000 replacement. :D

Looking back at this now that I have taken more pics with of my daughter. Hands down I use my 105 F2.8 and 300 F4 for the best portrait shots. Both produce nice bokeh without much effort.

And since this thread was posted I have only shot my 35 F1.8 once and it was actually just to give it to someone else on auto mode to take pictures...kind of full proof then and just like a P&S. Actually got pretty good results, but no bokeh...strictly to have pictures of the event.

Pretty much all has been said above really, I can't add much if you are looking for actual bokeh, but if you really only 'want out of focus', you can do it in post or use a spot filter - that way you can have your deep enough DoF and still blur the distractions out.

Clicking baby pictures is not an easy task. One has to be very cool and patient with the baby while capturing baby pictures. Proper time management is the most important thing for baby photography.
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Bokah and groups are almost an oxymoron. To have everyone in good focus is the goal of a group shot. And to get bokah, either one has to be focused very close or use a long lens with large aperture. Neither of which works well for groups. Just like Mike and Tao are referring to above.

I don't have the 85 yet, but between the 105 F2.8 and 35 F1.8 I prefer my 105 if I have the room. That said recent pictures of my baby girl have been difficult with the 105 and the 35 is a better working distance for most pictures of her inside laying around and stuff. Shooting the 35 at f2.8 I usually get pretty good results for DOF. That said shooting the 105 wide open seems to produce a perfect picture every time with the right DOF and nice bokeh.

I agree with Tao...if you already have the 35 I would add something between that and the 105 for more portrait shots (40 F2.8, 60 F2.8, 85 F1.8 or F3.5, or 105 F2.8). The benefits of the 35 are for wider shots inside or where you have multiple people. If you are shooting couples and are outside I would recommend any of the other lenses over the 35.

you can't get bokeh if you are standing away from your subject. With the 35mm You need to close to your subject and the subject needs to be far away from anything behind them to get the best bokeh.

For group stuff you should be shooting around F5-8 to get everyone in focus as well. That should be your main focus and the focus of the people you are shooting. I would think adding the 50mm 1.8 (even the older one) would be the next stop before the 85mm. If you are doing maternity stuff the 85 would be tight and the 50mm would be a bit better at the 2/3rds (of ppls bodies) in the frame. You are going to also want to look into a macro - either the 40 or the 60 for the more close focus shots as well. 2 Sb700s is what you would be looking for as well.

saiyanprince said:
Thanks guys i was thinking of the 85, but i was also thinking i would need a zoom lenses before getting another prime. But is there something im doing wrong with my 35mm cuz im not getting much bokeh when im taking group shots or when im far from the subject. Is this normal?

Hi,

Yes. The angle of view for an APS-C lens like the D7000 will not provide much shallow DOF for a group shot (assuming that the stand off will be a few feet away from the group, something that is likely to happen).

Getting an 85mm isn't going to solve that either, assuming that you're going to shoot inside a hospital, since the likelihood you'll have room for stand off for that lens to get everyone in the picture _and_ get the bokeh that you seem to want.

Furthermore, getting bokeh with a zoom would require a big expensive sumbitch like the 17-55mm, which isn't going to help a lot at f2.8, and you could just get an f1.8 50 at a fraction of the zoom's price for better handling and lower light performance. A f2.8 70-200mm is thousands more and has VR, but again, inside in small spaces, you'd be hard pressed to use it, for the specific, narrow 'newborn, maternity and couples photography' you've defined in your title post. Any fast zoom would be nice outside, although they are pricey and heavy.

One caution about opening up to the maximum, some of the primes at f1.4/f1.8 will be so shallow as to only focus a couple of inches in DOF; while photographers tend to like it, customers tend to want to see their loved ones in focus.

Go for bokeh, but good bokeh likely means f4/f5.6 that will give a great focus, depending upon the stand off.

My best,

Mike

Thanks guys i was thinking of the 85, but i was also thinking i would need a zoom lenses before getting another prime. But is there something im doing wrong with my 35mm cuz im not getting much bokeh when im taking group shots or when im far from the subject. Is this normal?

If bokeh is what you're after then the 85mm is certainly a good choice. Appart from that I would say that the 35mm is the perfect lens for what you want to use if for though.

Best guess to add to the 35mm is an 85mm f/1.8G, the new one for $500.... really crisp and so inexpensive. Or a zoom, my favorite is the 24-120mm f/4.0 VR. Lots of examples on the forum of this lens. See how you like the ISO 6400 and you may find you do not need the speed lights as often. Just be careful about how you have the ambient lighting set.

I bought the D7k and the 35mm1.8g as that was the only lens really available at the time. I feel as if i need something else. I know i'm gonna need a speedlight most likely the SB700. Is this combination well enough for what i want to do? I tried to do family pics with the 35mm but i couldnt get much bokeh at 2.8. Must be on me since im still new. I might do a wedding or two here and there. But my main concern right now is. What do I need for newborn maternity and couples photography?